The Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA) today announced its collaboration with Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company PJSC (du) for the development of fifth generation mobile technology (5G) and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions.

The DSOA is the regulatory body for the Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), the integrated technology park.

Confirming DSOA’s support to du’s programme titled UAE 5G Innovation Gate (U5GIG), a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between Engineer Muammar Khaled Al Katheeri, Executive Vice President of Engineering and Smart City at DSOA, and Farid Fraidooni, Chief Operations Officer at du.

Under the agreement, a UAE 5G Innovation Lab will be established at Dubai Silicon Oasis to test the compliance and feasibility of 5G equipment and services to global standards. Following its establishment at DSO’s TechnoHub 2 building, DSOA and du will further co-operate in the research and development of integrated environmental systems at the innovation lab. The UAE 5G Innovation Lab will serve as a platform to prototype, test and validate early 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) equipment and services.

The announcements were made on the sidelines of the GITEX Technology Week 2016 currently underway at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

Speaking on the agreement, Eng. Muammar Al Katheeri, said, "DSOA is keen to contribute to Dubai’s smart city transformation and to support the UAE Vision 2021 that aims to position the country among the top nations in the world in the delivery of smart services. To fully achieve this vision, we must transcend the stage of importing smart solutions and technologies, and begin developing such equipment and services locally.

"Through this programme, we will collaborate with various local and international entities to position the UAE as a trail-blazer in modern 5G technologies and in the research and development of IoT solutions - further accelerating the nation’s efforts to achieve prosperity and sustainable development."

Farid Fraidooni, said, "In line with our comprehensive plans for the development and deployment of 5G technologies across the UAE, we, at du, are staunchly committed to our continued investment in R&D. Staying abreast of the latest developments in this dynamic technology will enable us to make significant contributions to the promotion of the Internet of Things and the application of an increased number of smart services throughout the city. Our new partnership with Dubai Silicon Oasis constitutes a further step on the path towards the adoption and application of this technology, which will enable us to exchange experiences with technological and academic institutions, and ICT providers worldwide."

The U5GIG programme pioneered by du seeks to enable universities and technical organisations across the UAE to work collaboratively and participate in the development of the 5G ecosystem, and for academia and industry to test applications and technologies in a real-world setting.

A wholly-owned entity of the government of Dubai, DSO operates as a free zone technology park for large enterprises, as well as medium and small companies looking to set up their offices in Dubai.